Colombia’s election campaigns are filled with digital violence. In addition to the violence carried out by armed groups in large rural areas in Colombia, the open threats received by the presidential candidates who lead the polls, and the acute political polarization, the campaign ahead of the presidential elections in Colombia is stained with digital violence, stigmatization, and hate speech that deteriorate democratic debate. All of this is happening just over a month before the first round, which will take place on May 31.
The warning was made by the Ombudsperson, Iris Marin, who also stated that these factors put at risk life, political participation, and the quality of democracy. Her concerns arise from the monitoring carried out by the Ombudsman’s Office, between March 13 and April 15, of the Commitment for a Free and Peaceful Electoral Process in Colombia. The review identified multiple manifestations of political violence that are affecting democratic debate and the exercise of citizens’ political rights.
Colombia’s election campaigns are filled with digital violence
The Commitment was an agreement signed last year by political parties and movements, as well as by committees registering candidacies, convened by the Ombudsman’s Office with the support of the Delegation for Church-State Relations of the Episcopal Conference, and the backing of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia (UN Human Rights), the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia of the Organization of American States (MAPP/OAS), and the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC).
Political parties and movements committed to defending the primacy of the life of political opponents, adopt a policy of nonviolence, respect institutions and the rules of the legal system, defend democracy, promote constructive language and eliminate stigmatization, guarantee the dissemination of truthful information, embrace dialogue as a democratic commitment, recognize youth, and support and respect peaceful demonstrations and protests.
However, the monitoring and analysis carried out by the Ombudsman’s Office revealed death threats, stigmatization, and defamation that do not affect all candidacies equally and that reproduce structural inequalities. A high recurrence of violence against women in politics was recorded, with attacks based on gender stereotypes, sexualization, and personal disqualifications, as well as prejudice-based aggression toward people with diverse sexual orientations and manifestations of racism against Afro-descendant and Indigenous candidacies.
Among the cases identified are those of presidential and vice-presidential candidates Paloma Valencia, Juan Daniel Oviedo, Claudia Lopez, Aida Quilcue, and Sondra Macollins, who have been subject to violence against women in politics, prejudice-based violence, stigmatization, and defamation.
In addition, Ivan Cepeda and Aida Quilcue frequently face stigmatization and defamation. Luis Gilberto Murillo and Aida Quilcue have been targets of racist statements. Abelardo de la Espriella and Jose Manuel Restrepo have faced situations of defamation. The campaign of Sergio Fajardo has received offensive language.
Recommendations from the Ombudsman’s Office
For the Ombudsman’s Office, these forms of violence are amplified in digital environments and, in some cases, by voices with high public visibility, which increases the risk of escalation into more serious forms, fosters scenarios of self-censorship and silencing, and particularly affects the relationship of youth with democracy and institutional trust.
To this panorama is added disinformation as a tool of political delegitimization, through accusations that associate candidacies with illegality, criminality, or armed actors. Extreme polarization tends to deny space to moderate positions. These dynamics occur in contexts shaped by armed conflict and organized crime.
The Ombudsman’s Office recommends, in line with the Commitment for a Free and Peaceful Electoral Process:
• To the Office of the Attorney General, the Ministry of the Interior, and the National Protection Unit (UNP), to strengthen their actions to mitigate these situations within the framework of their competencies.
• To digital platforms: To act with due diligence regarding political violence content.
• To political movements and campaigns: To expressly and non-selectively reject these acts.
• To the media and actors with influence on public opinion: Not to amplify these practices.
• To civil society and citizens: To participate actively and responsibly so as not to contribute to a negative environment for democratic debate.